Foot board



sept. 26, E

N. H. FRHEDMAN ETAL FOOT BOARD Filed Oct. 24, 1965 m, '[II m l as 15 INVENTORS.

A NATHAN H. FRIEDMAN L BYWALTER ANDRUSCHKEVICHR AT IZNEY.

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A foot support adapted to be conveniently and quickly attached to a hospital bed and mechanically adjusted over the top of the mattress of the bed to the length of a bed occupant by an adjusting mechanism and collapsed independently of the adjusting mechanism.

This invention relates to foot supports for beds to which a patient may be confined for long periods of time. Persons spending most or all of their time in bed during extended periods of illness or convalescence experience gradual weakening of all the major muscles of their bodies due to disuse. When the nature of the illness constrains a person to a supine position, even those muscles which hold the feet erect become too weak to function.

Devices to alleviate this condition have been used with little or indifferent success. Conventional devices used for this purpose are not adjustable and have to be aug mented by pillows and blankets in order to adjust to the length of the patient.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a foot support that can be easily attached to a hospital bed and which can be mechanically adjusted to different positions over the top of the mattress of the bed to the length of the occupant.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a foot support in which the foot-contacting portion thereof may be collapsed independently of the adjusting mechamsm.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a foot support that is adj-ustably actuated by the rotation of a crank.

In one aspect of the invention, a base of generally L- shaped construction and of a length substantially equal to the width of a hospital bed may support the adjustable foot-supporting mechanism on its one leg in such fashion that its other leg may rest between the mattress and springs of the hospital bed.

In another aspect of the invention, a bracket may be attached to the other leg of the base member above the mattress of the bed, and it may support a shaft for rotation within bearings attached to the bracket.

In another aspect of the invention, the shaft may have a crank fixed to its one end and it may support a threaded sleeve for rotation with the shaft and capable of axial movement relative to the shaft.

In a further aspect of the invention, a collar may be threaded to the sleeve and restrained from axial movement on the shaft for normally retaining the threaded sleeve in one position along the shaft.

In a still further aspect of the invention, an elongated, threaded nut may be mounted on the threaded shaft and it may be pivotally connected at its ends to separate links, the opposite ends of which are pivotally connected to one end of the adjustable foot support.

In another aspect of the invention, other links may be attached to the base in line with the ends of the elongated nut and their opposite ends may be provided with pin means that ride within slotted bracket means fixed to the foot support. The two links of each pairmay cross each other and be pivotally connected to a pivot pin that United States Patent extends through all four links at their center points, forming two scissor linkage arrangements in spaced relation that connect the foot support board to the leg of the base that supports the bracket for the rotatable shaft.

In operation, turning the crank rotates the threaded sleeve, causing the threaded nut thereon to move axially therealong and thereby collapse the scissors link arrangements, thereby to retract the foot-supporting board to its position nearest the base. Turning the crank in the opposite direction causes the scissors link arrangements to force the foot-supporting board away from the base and thereby provide a mechanically adjustable means for moving the foot support into contact with the feet of the patient in the bed. Should it be necessary to quickly collapse the foot support toward the base, it is only neces sary to unscrew the axial-1y movable threaded collar on the sleeve, whereupon the sleeve can be moved axially along the shaft.

The above, other objects and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following specification and accompanying drawing which are merely exemplary.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a hospital bed supporting a foot support to which the principles of the present invention have been applied;

FIG. 2 is a plan view looking in the direction of the arrows along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an elevational view looking in the direction of the arrows along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the principles of the invention are shown as applied to a mechanically adjustable foot support 10 that is adapted to be mounted on a hospital bed 11 having springs 12 and a mattress 13. The foot support may comprise a base member including right angular plate means 14 and 15. The plate means 14 is adapted to be located between the springs 12 and the mattress 13 for anchoring the foot support to the bed 11.

Referring to FIG. 2, a bracket 16 is mounted on the plate 15 and includes ears 17 and 18. Bars 17 and 18 journal a shaft 19 having a square cross section between the ends thereof, which latter are cylindrical and are journaled in bearings within the ears 17 and 18. An externally threaded sleeve 20 (FIG. 3) is mounted on the shaft 19 for sliding movement therealong. A threaded collar 21 engages a flange 22 that is integral with the shaft 19, and said collar is threaded onto the threads of the sleeve 20. When collar 21 is threaded onto the threads of sleeve 20, the sleeve is retained in its axial position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3; and when collar 21 is disengaged from sleeve 20, the latter is capable of being moved along shaft 19.

An elongated nut 23 is threaded onto the threaded sleeve 20 and it is pivotally connected at its one end to one end 24 of a link 25. The opposite end of link 25 is pivotally connected to a bracket 26 that is fixed to the back of a foot supporting plate 27. Another link 28 has one end pivotally connected by a pin 29 to a bracket 30 fixed to the plate 15 of the base of the foot support 10. The opposite end of link 28 includes a pin 31 that rides within a slot 32 in a bracket 33 fixed tothe back of footsupporting plate 27. The links 25 and 28 cross each other and are connected by a pivotal pin 34.

Referring to FIG. 1, another link 25A is connected to the opposite end of the elongated nut 23 and the back face of the foot support 27 in the same way that the link 25 is connected to these elements; and, there is another link 28A identical with link 28 that is connected to the plate 15 and the foot support plate 27in the same way that link 28 is connected thereto. The pivot pin 34 extends between the two sets of scissors-like links 25, 28; 25A, 28A.

Referring to FIG. 4, aligned openings 37 and 38 may be provided in the foot support plate 27 and plate 15 through which lines are adapted to pass for connecting weights to traction devices adapted to bev applied to the patient if the same are required.

A crank 35 is connected to the free end of shaft 19 and it may include a collapsible handle 36. With the base plate 14 supported between mattress 13 and springs 12, the apparatus is rigidly supported by the hospital bed 11. By turning the crank 35 in one direction, the nut 23 is caused to move axially along the sleeve 20, thereby collapsing the scissors-like linkages 25, 28; 25A 28A. Rotation of the crank 35 in the opposite direction moves the foot support plate 27 away from the plate 15 to any desired position over the top of the mattress 13 for supporting the feet of a supine patient.

In the event that it is desired to quickly collapse the apparatus, i.e., move the foot support plate 27 toward the plate 15 without operating the crank 35, the threaded collar 21 can be disconnected from the threaded sleeve 20, and the foot support 27 may be rapidlyforced toward a collapsed position. However, before it can be used again, it must be extended, the collar 21 threadingly connected to the threaded sleeve 20, and the crank 35 operated to mechanically return the plate 27 to its collapsed position.

Other operating means may be used. As an example, fluid-operated piston and cylinder means (not shown) could be used between the foot support board 27 and the plate 15 for mechanically adjusting the position of board 27 relative to the feet of a patient. Also, motor operated means could be attached to the shaft for turning the same. Further, a pair or more of threaded telescoping members could be mounted between the support and support plate for moving the same relative to each other. Also other pantograph-like means could be used. The foot support plate if desired could have roller means (not shown) on the lower edge to facilitate its movement along the soft undulating surface. The supports and mechanism could be provided with any suitable locking means such as pegs or the like. The term springs, of course, includes any type of support for the mattress.

Although the various features of the improved mechanically operated foot support have been shown and described in detail to fully disclose one embodiment of the invention, it is evident that changes may be made in such details and certain features may be used without connected to said upwardly extending plate; and mechanical advantage means including spaced pairs of sub stantially horizontally disposed scissors-like linkage means interconnected to said support plate and said upwardly extending plate for moving said foot support plate toward and away from said upwardly extending plate, the

linkage means of each pair of linkages means being pivotally connected to a pivot pin extending vertically between said horizontal pairs, said mechanical advantage means including crank means for moving said linkage means and said foot support plate toward and away from said upwardly extending plate.

2. A foot board as in claim 1 wherein said mechanical advantage means includes a threaded sleeve and a nut threaded thereon, said sleeve being rotated by said crank means and slidable along a shaft and normally held against such action by a release connection.

3. A foot board as in claim 1 wherein said scissor linkages have two linkage members having fixed pivoted ends and the. other ends of said members having reciprocable means including a slot and said threaded sleeve means.

4. A foot board as claimed in claim 1 in which aligned holes are provided in said foot support plate and the plate that extends upwardly above the foot end of the mattress.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 885,388 4/1908 Sickles 5-71 1,336,294 5/1920 Hackman 5-71 1,580,014 4/1926- Christiansen 5-71 FOREIGN PATENTS 445,484 11/1912 France.

172,106 11/1921 Great Britain.

575,206 2/1946 Great Britain.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Examiner.

R. D. KRAUS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FOOT BOARD FOR BEDS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A BASE MEMBER HAVING ANGULARLY DISPOSED PLATES, ONE OF WHICH IS ADAPTED TO FIT BETWEEN A MATTRESS AND SUPPORT THEREFOR, AND THE OTHER TO EXTEND UPWARDLY ABOVE THE FOOT END OF THE MATTRESS; A FOOT SUPPORT PLATE ADJUSTABLY CONNECTED TO SAID UPWARDLY EXTENDING PLATE; AND MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE MEANS INCLUDING SPACED PAIRS OF SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED SCISSORS-LIKE LINKAGE MEANS INTERCONNECTED TO SAID SUPPORT PLATE AND SAID UPWARDLY EXTENDING PLATE FOR MOVING SAID FOOT SUPPORT PLATE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID UPWARDLY EXTENDING PLATE, THE LINKAGE MEANS OF EACH PAIR OF LINKAGES MEANS BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO A PIVOT PIN EXTENDING VERTICALLY BETWEEN SAID HORIZONTAL PAIRS, SAID MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE MEANS INCLUDING CRANK MEANS FOR MOVING SAID LINKAGE MEANS AND SAID FOOT SUPPORT PLATE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID UPWARDLY EXTENDING PLATE. 